Chapter 464 Oregon Laws 2007

 

AN ACT

 

SB 215

 

Relating to student admission; creating new provisions; amending ORS 339.115 and 339.133; and declaring an emergency.

 

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

 

          SECTION 1. ORS 339.133 is amended to read:

          339.133. (1) Except as provided in subsection (3), (4), (5) or (7) of this section, children between the ages of 4 and 18 shall be considered resident for school purposes in the school district in which their parents, guardians or persons in parental relationship to them reside.

          (2) Nonemancipated individuals between the ages of 4 and 18 living outside the geographic area of the school district for such reasons as attending college, military service, hospital confinement or employment away from home shall be considered resident in the district in which their parents, guardians or persons in parental relationship to them reside.

          (3) Individuals considered legally emancipated from their parents shall be considered resident in the district in which they actually reside, irrespective of the residence of their parents, guardians or persons in parental relationship.

          (4) Children placed by public or private agencies who are living in substitute care programs licensed, certified or approved shall be considered resident in the school district in which they reside by placement of the public or private agency.

          (5)(a) Notwithstanding subsection (4) of this section, when a juvenile court determines that it is in a child’s best interest to continue to attend the school that the child attended prior to placement by a public agency, the child:

          (A) Shall be considered resident for school purposes in the school district in which the child resided prior to the placement; and

          (B) May continue to attend the school the child attended prior to the placement through the highest grade level of the school.

          (b) The public agency that has placed the child shall be responsible for providing the child with transportation to and from school when the need for transportation is due to the placement by the public agency.

          (c) Paragraph (b) of this subsection applies only to a public agency for which funds have been designated for the specific purpose of providing a child with transportation to and from school under this subsection.

          (6) Persons living temporarily in a school district for the primary purpose of attending a district school may not be considered legally resident of the district in which they are living temporarily, but shall be considered resident in the district in which they, their parents, guardians or persons in parental relationship to them maintain residency.

          (7) Except as provided in ORS 327.006 (7) and 335.090, persons whose legal residence is not within the district but who attend school in the district with the written consent of the affected district school boards shall be considered to be residents of the district in which the person attends school for purposes of the receipt by that district of State School Fund moneys for the person.

          (8) For the purposes of [subsection (4) of] this section[,]:

          (a) “Person in parental relationship” means an adult who has physical custody of a child or resides in the same household as the child, interacts with the child daily, provides the child with food, clothing, shelter and incidental necessaries and provides the child with necessary care, education and discipline. “Person in parental relationship” does not mean a person with a power of attorney or other written delegation of parental responsibilities if the person does not have other evidence of a parental relationship.

          (b) “Substitute care program” means family foster care, family group home care, parole foster care, family shelter care, adolescent shelter care and professional group care.

 

          SECTION 2. ORS 339.115 is amended to read:

          339.115. (1) Except as provided in ORS 339.141, authorizing tuition for courses not part of the regular school program, the district school board shall admit free of charge to the schools of the district all persons between the ages of 5 and 19 who reside within the school district. A person whose 19th birthday occurs during the school year shall continue to be eligible for a free and appropriate public education for the remainder of the school year. A district school board may admit nonresident persons, determine who is not a resident of the district and fix rates of tuition for nonresidents.

          (2)(a) A district must admit an otherwise eligible person who has not yet attained 21 years of age prior to the beginning of the current school year if the person is[:]

          [(a)] receiving special education and has not yet received a regular high school diploma[; or].

          (b) A district may admit an otherwise eligible person who is not receiving special education and who has not yet attained 21 years of age prior to the beginning of the current school year if the person is shown to be in need of additional education in order to receive a diploma.

          (3) The obligation to make a free appropriate public education available to individuals with disabilities 18 through 21 years of age who are incarcerated in an adult correctional facility applies only to those individuals who, in their last educational placement prior to their incarceration in the adult correctional facility:

          (a) Were identified as being a child with a disability as defined in ORS 343.035; or

          (b) Had an individualized education program as described in ORS 343.151.

          (4) For purposes of subsection (3) of this section, “adult correctional facility” means:

          (a) A local correctional facility as defined in ORS 169.005;

          (b) A regional correctional facility as defined in ORS 169.620; or

          (c) A Department of Corrections institution as defined in ORS 421.005.

          (5) An otherwise eligible person under subsection (2) of this section whose 21st birthday occurs during the school year shall continue to be eligible for a free appropriate public education for the remainder of the school year.

          (6) The person may apply to the board of directors of the school district of residence for admission after the 19th birthday as provided in subsection (1) of this section. A person aggrieved by a decision of the local board may appeal to the State Board of Education. The decision of the state board is final and not subject to appeal.

          (7) Notwithstanding ORS 339.133 (1), a school district shall not exclude from admission a child located in the district solely because the child does not have a fixed place of residence or solely because the child is not under the supervision of a parent, guardian or person in a parental relationship.

          (8) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, a school district:

          (a) May for the remaining period of an expulsion deny admission to the regular school to a resident student who is expelled from another school district; and

          (b) Shall for at least one calendar year from the date of the expulsion and if the expulsion is for more than one calendar year, may for the remaining period of time deny admission to the regular school program to a student who is under expulsion from another school district for an offense that constitutes a violation of a school district policy adopted pursuant to ORS 339.250 (6).

          (9) A child entering the first grade during the fall term shall be considered to be six years of age if the sixth birthday of the child occurs on or before September 1. A child entering kindergarten during the fall term shall be considered to be five years of age if the fifth birthday of the child occurs on or before September 1. However, nothing in this section prevents a district school board from admitting free of charge a child whose needs for cognitive, social and physical development would best be met in the school program, as defined by policies of the district school board, to enter school even though the child has not attained the minimum age requirement but is a resident of the district.

 

          SECTION 3. The amendments to ORS 339.115 and 339.133 by sections 1 and 2 of this 2007 Act first apply to the 2007-2008 school year.

 

          SECTION 4. This 2007 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2007 Act takes effect July 1, 2007.

 

Approved by the Governor June 18, 2007

 

Filed in the office of Secretary of State June 19, 2007

 

Effective date July 1, 2007

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